Baronet outfitting

Skeltonsc

Member
Howzit Guys,
 
I'm in the process of cleaning out and refitting my boat, I bought a 17ft Baronet which needs a little work
 
I have so far pulled off the 75Hp Yammy that has 0 compression in the bottom cylinder and fitted a 60Hp Johnson I have.
 
have raised the motor to line up with the bottom of the hull, ie cavitation plate is now about 5mm higher than the bottom of the hull.
 
I have pulled off all the wooden grab rails and am sanding and varnishing these.
 
Pulled out the vrot wood on the dash and cupboard door and am replacing this. who on earth uses Masonite for a dash panel anyway?
 
Also replacing the wood under the seats as the plywood is vrot.
 
ripped all the wiring out of the cabin will be redoing this as old wires are 30 years old and full of joins, and had no fuses at all.
 
Installed new weatherstrips around the hatch in the cabin as this was leaking.
 
I have replaced all the wiring in the outboard using new plugs lugs etc.
 
Relocating the batteries I will be running 2 battery’s as the cabin will have a house battery and invertor for the misses to watch her netflix and charge a laptop. run lights etc. house battery will be charged at home and not be connected to the starter battery. luck I have a few sealed deepcycle batteries lying around not being used.
will also be able to jump start the outboard if I really needed to.
 
The batteries will be in the seat opposite  the helm will also bring some weight forward as I don’t want batteries and fuel in the stern.
 
I found a bilge pump lying lose under the seats. is this a requirement for a cabin boat and if so where do I mount this to be most effective?
 
I am patching some holes on the deck above the cabin where some lights were fitted and will paint the boat sometime next year.
 
will fit new night lights as the current ones are a bit of an eyesore.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Limpopoking

Sealiner
On my Moonraker that I'm rebuilding, I installed the bilge pump right at the stern with a float switch. I've wired up through the main switch panel so that you can activate the bilge pump circuit as soon as the boat is in the water. I've also located the float switch under an inspection cover so that, periodically, you can manually activate it just to check that it's working.

With my dual battery system, on all my boats I've installed a VSR so that when underway, once the starter battery is full, the house battery gets automatically charged.

The wiring on the Moonraker was also a tragic affair... I stripped out everything and started from scratch.
 

Skeltonsc

Member
Howzit Guys,
So I'm about 90% there with the boat
1. Have replaced the Dash and Cubby wood with new plywood.
2. Have repaired the old grab handles and refitted these I dug out the vrot wood and built them up with Pratley putty,sanded and varnished these, they came out looking pretty good
3. fitted the Grab rails with new Stainless bolts and washers and filled the holes on top of the bolts with Silicone
4. Fitted Rev guage to dash
5. Completed Wiring in cabin
6. fitted the batteries and ran the cables to the under seat area opposite to the helm.
7. ordered new wheel bearings and seals along with Ubolts for the trailer
8. Started polishing the boat with rubbing compound9. fixed a few nicks in the keel with Fiber filler
10 started Johnson motor and fitted dead man switch as the OMC controls dont have a lanyard.
 

Skeltonsc

Member
 
Oh so I was sitting in my garage the other day and that Yammy kept calling to me......
 
While sitting on my stool, I had a discussion with it and said if I can strip the power head off without breaking a bolt then I will spend a couple of bob fixing it
 
So I stripped the head off and found that it has tons of corrosion around the bottom cylinder so bad infect the head gasket can no longer seal. But I still had not broken a bolt, although it felt like it was about to.
 
I then removed the powerhead these 8 bolts came loose and I was able to lift the powerhead off, however I could not get them to drop out of the casing so had to drill 4 of them out, I then proceeded to strip down the power head, I got stuck with the conrod bolts as I need a very thin walled socket. but in any case she needs a new block, which I have managed to find one for R1000, it will cost me a rebore and 3 new pistons, rings, big ends and lower main bearing, a full  gasket set etc.
 
But if I can do this motor for under R7k well that’s chance I will take.
 
I also need to figure out how to free up the pivot tube it’s a little stiff, I can turn the motor left and right but it’s very very stiff and should not be like that. I had a quick look but could not find the grease nipple, but it was also getting dark so will tackle that job this weekend.
 
I told the guy doing the engineering to take his time and I will collect around this time next month. pity I could not find a trim and tilt for this motor the 75's are heavy, oh I will also fit the 85's heads and reeds that are matched to the new block.
 
The funny thing is I have not looked at the lower unit yet, the prop spins without making any noise, I will empty the oil and see what if any milkshake I get. I should have probably looked at this before deciding to spend bucks on the power head :shock:
 

Skeltonsc

Member
Hi Guys, so Today is a bitter sweet day, I sold my duck, I liked that boat and put tons of sweat and blood into that boat, but I think I made the right decision and I hope the new owner will have tons of fun on it.
 
so now back to a single boat in the driveway, at least i can now stop playing car guard in my own driveway when my misses tries to reverse out 
 
So I'm a sucker for punishment, my baronet has a bracket for a kicker motor and this has been bugging me.... infact it was part of a joke I made to the previous owner that his Yammy must have been a dud for needing a kicker motor. well that was before viewing the boat and finding the yammy was seized....
 
Anyways with the sale of my Duck I will buy a little 5hp Yamaha cause we all know Mr Murphy all too well.

I'm having nightmares of being in the bay battling to start my main engine with the South Westerly wind picking up blowing me into the wharf, bashing the boat to bits with kids onboard. not my ideal way to end a fishing trip.
 
Remember I have a 40year old Johnson outboard on there currently and this will be replaced with a 30 year old rebuilt Yammy. and being used to the piece of mind with having a duel outboard setup on the duck.
 
So I guess my question is will a normal Short shaft 5hp push the 17ft fully loaded around 1ton of boat against the wind and current to get me back to where I need to go, even if it takes an hour longer. I was looking at 8hp but they start to get heavy and expensive.
 
I will mostly be fishing in Durban harbour so will need to get back to Pompano Angling Club from where ever I am. I suppose I could always call the NSRI I'm sure they would not mind assisting, but I would prefer not doing that if I have any choice. Funny thing is when I got into Boating again in 2014 I started donating each month to the NSRI, just in case I needed them one day.
 
I remember as a boy with my dad, we borrowed my uncles engine on our 3.6m foldable Infanta duck and it packed up at Mtinzini about 4km from the ramp and it was getting dark, my dad walking and dragging the boat back. We were just very lucky that evening that another boat came past and towed us back. My Dad bought a brand new outboard for the boat before the next trip and we never had an issue again.
 
Anyways this is enough of me rambling for today.
 

Skeltonsc

Member
So I sold my duck and it was collected this afternoon so it was sad to see it go.
But I did collect my little weedwacker today a 1995 Yammy 5hp
So I have a question for the Durban Harbour guys with cabin boats
I'm going to fit a underfloor Bilge pump in the back by the transom, however because its a Step down cabin boat I'm getting conflicting stories about needing a bilge pump in the cabin area?
I do understand thats the last place one would want a bow full of water, so my question is where do I put it, as the seats are sealed from the middle section, do I have to mount it on the floor next to the step so the kids can walk all over it?
or do I keep it loose and deploy it when needed (hopefully never) the previous owner had it loose in the cabin, but it would never have worked as there was no way to power it from the cabin. the wires are only half a meter long and it was just bare wires to hold against a battery. :?

I also see there is a requirement for a sound signalling device, can this be a simple air horn?
then the boat came with a life ring and flare, is this a requirement for night fishing? as I really dont know where to put that massive life ring? where it would not be in everyones way.

I will also get the lights working as they are currently fitted, but am not planning any night fishing just yet.
 

Limpopoking

Sealiner
On my Moonraker, the bilge is continuous from bow to stern. Any frames have limber holes that allow water to drain aft. The floor in the cabin is below the deck in the cockpit, and there is a drain in the cabin that you can open to drain the cabin if it fills with water. That water will drain into the bilge. My pump is installed at the lowest point possible at the transom. So any water draining through the bilge can be pumped out easily. I also installed a float switch and an isolator on the main switch panel. Basically, when launching, you switch on the bilge pump and the float switch will pump when required. I also installed an inspection lid so that I can periodically test the bilge pump by lifting the float switch by hand... From what I've seen, the Baronets, interceptors etc are all designed and constructed fairly similarly to one another.
 

Skeltonsc

Member
Thanks I dont have a plug in the cabin, so would have to add one.
Also when cutting the deck at the back how do I miss cutting through a support or stringer?
 

Limpopoking

Sealiner
I took my entire deck up in the cockpit area so I was able to get to all the nasties. But if you press down hard, you will generally see where the support is, then drill a hole about 5mm in diameter, stick some stiff wire through the hole and feel about with the wire. I have a 150mm diameter hatch installed so I can access the float switch easily, but there's also a screwed down cover of about 300mm x 300mm that I can take off to service (replace) the bilge pump. All is underneath the rear seating area so it's well hidden away.
 

Skeltonsc

Member
Thank you for that tip about the 5mm hole with the wire I would never had thought about that_seal1_
Tomorrow I have quite a to do list.
Need to remove the crusty bimini and see what I can do about that, its supposed to be grey but is more black than grey.

think I will do the wheel bearings and replace the studs on the other axle as these are welded on with rust. - When I bought the boat, I had all the tools and grease I needed to repack the bearings however when I tried removing the wheel I broke the first wheel stud I turned. Needless to say I towed very slowly and could hear the bearings humming from inside my bakkie with the windows closed.

this boat was stored at the harbour so was never towed very far.

It did make it home but it was a very stressful 40km

need to find U-bolts as well as I would not trust hitting any potholes with them in thier current state.
Other than that the whole trailer is gavinised as well as the axle. This was a major point in me buying this boat.
 

Skeltonsc

Member
Howzit, did the wheel bearings today, still need to find a local supplier for the Ubolts
check out the before and after videos

Before after snapping 3 wheel studs off this side and spinning the hub
this is why I was so stressed while towing the boat home.
https://youtu.be/YV2LCOn-eDs


After doing the bearing and fitting the mag rim

https://youtu.be/63iSCLbnNMI
This little job took all day cause I had to drive around to find a 34mm socket and also had to drill the center hole in the rim out from 50mm to 65mm so it could fit.
 

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Skeltonsc

Member
kicker bracket - I found some treated wood offcut that I used on the bracket, I need to find marine ply but am not paying R2k for a 20cm x 30m piece this will have to last a few months and should.
I will find a Transom protection plate, Wadeline did not have
Will also make up a little chain from the motor to the stern eye so that I dont lose the little motor.
 

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Skeltonsc

Member
Hi Guys so I got some clarifcation from the Safety officer of the Club I intend joining. Please see his answers below.
so I have quite alot to do this weekend.
  1. The Baronet has a step down into the cabin do I need to fit a bilge pump in there? And if so, where do I place it. I would imagine in the lowest point between the seats where the kids can step on it ☹ or can it just be loose and deployed when required?

    Yes with stepdown deck as is the case with Baronet craft you are required to have bilge pump fitted. This can be hand operated or the small Rule electric pump. The hand pump most guys fit either below steering or just inside the cabin next to the entrance door. 

    Fire Extinguishers? I have a single main 60HP outboard fitted along with a little 5hp Yamaha so will fit 2 extinguishers, however can I mount 1 near the helm and 1 in the cabin?  Or should I rather fit 3? 2 fire extinguishers will be ok and in the positions you have indicated above.

    Sound signalling device what device is approved for the bay? Can I get any Air horn? For “R” category any air horn will be ok you just need to demonstrate it works at time of inspection.

    Boat registration number – the boat has a number on it, will I be issued a new number? As I would like to get the stickers sorted before I come for COF. And possibly launch on the same day 😊 I cannot wait to get this boat in the water. We will issue you with new PAC number and provide club decals
 

Skeltonsc

Member
So Howzit Guys, so today I got to get my boat wet.
Took the boat for COF Saturday but the Wind was a little strong to launch.
Today was a lekker day in the harbour no bites though but thats still better than parking at home watching fishing videos on YouTube.
Had a fueling issue with the Johnson, seems I have low fuel pressure so will source a new Fuel pump, I had fitted a little elect pump but it has never ran right with it on. with the heavy boat I can run about 4 or 5  seconds at full throttle before it suffers from fuel stavation. just not enough to get the heavy whale on the plane. was better on my last Duck as it was alot lighter and could get going in the blink of an eye.

On a side note, I was getting bored of not catching anything so fired up the little 5hp it got me 7km/h on the GPS at just over half throttle, any more throttle doesnt make any difference. I did however leave the johnson in the water so there was extra drag, but found I could steer using the main outboard as a rudder.
 

Skeltonsc

Member
Howzit Guys,
So yesterday I went and got a new/used Fuel pump and got the rebuild kit for it at the same time.
Boat still has not changed the 60hp Johnson takes off like a rocket but falls flat just before getting on the plane, I have now tried everything I can think of.
1. bypassed all fuel fittings - ran a pipe with a new primer bulb into the filler neck of my tank straight to the fuel pump.
2. cleaned carbs again
3. replaced Fuel pump with the correct Johnson one and did away with the electric pump.
4. Spark is great she will jump one hell of a spark when pulling off the spark plug cap.
5. I have purposly not touched the timing since this issue began on the old boat. as I dont need to add to the problems
I'm convinced its a fuel issue as I had my lighty pump the bulb and she finally got on the plane till the lightys hands got tired.

heres a Video of what she does - https://youtu.be/_BDE0t8kGoE
next step will be a carb rebuild kit and hopefully that sorts it out
I am also rebuiding my yammy 75HP and she will be done before Christmas, but that motor weighs twice as much as the Johnson.

My little Johnson has never let me down, shes just a little lazy ;) then again she is a 1981 model and a year younger than me.

funny how the troublesome motors get under your skin. besides


Fishing in the harbour again today, she will plow along at 3000rpm all day.
At least the fish were biting today ;)
 

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Skeltonsc

Member
yes I am thinking the same, funny thing is floats are set as per the manual, I have cleaned the brass and needles they drop freely with no effort at all, they are certainly sealing as they carbs are not flooding.
I have not drilled out the covers for the air/fuel screws as those only really do anything at idle/part throttle but do just about nothign at full throttle.

I have worked on Carbs since the 1999 and have never had an issue setting them or adjusting them or cleaning them.

My motorcycles all have carbs, my lawnmower and all my cars had carbs up until 2007 when I bought my first Fuel injected car, worked on Pierburg, Holly and Weber carbs, and have never battled like this.



I'm starting to wonder if those little rubbers are not leaking around the main jet.
Anyways will get source a carb kit for this motor.
Johnson spares are unfortunatly not always easy to find.
will figure this out.
BRP says they can order and I need to wait 6 weeks :shock:

May have to make new gaskets out of cork again in the meantime
 
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